The use of Pietra Piasentina stone for more sustainable cement

This research focuses on the use of waste materials from other production processes available within the national territory, obtaining the dual advantage of effectively reducing the CO2 released, but also of reusing substances that would otherwise have to be sent to landfill. In particular, the study concerns Piasentina Stone, which is a stone available in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and which is used for flooring and decorative elements. To obtain the finished material ready for sale, the manufacturing process is characterized by more than 50% of waste products (large stone elements, crushed stone and cutting mud). The composition of the stone is characterized by a percentage of limestone greater than 95%, which makes it perfectly suitable both as a material to be used in the kilns for the production of clinker, and as a substitute for clinker in binary and composite cements. A campaign of chemical-physical investigations was conducted on the stone to evaluate its suitability with respect to the Codes limitations. Analyses on mortars obtained with partial replacement of clinker have been developed. The purpose of this research is to provide a possible alternative to obtain a more sustainable cement with a natural by-product widely available.